LOST SOULS

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: language, thematic elements

Rated:

Antichrist thrillers are a dime a dozen in Hollywood. Even the Christian market has tried to get in on the excitement, producing dozens of poorly written and badly executed "end times" thrillers in an effort to corner the market. This is yet another example of an attempt to cash in on cheap thrills, the result being a decently scary mind-bender with an ultimately unsatisfactory ending.

Behind the barred doors of a mental institution is a patient who has requested an exorcist. Despite the argument of his practicing physician and her associates, Father Lareaux (John Hurt) is summoned to attempt to cast the demons out of him. Accompanying him in this task is Maya Larkin (Winona Ryder), a convert to Catholicism and former possessed soul. Haunted by memories of her own demonic infestation, her presence in the room cannot prevent the demons from wrecking havoc. Lareaux is dragged from the cell in a comatose state, while the patient lapses into madness. But he did manage to say one or two things in-between the exorcism attempts; the demon in him spit out a series of numerical codes, which Maya is able to decipher. It is the name of a man meant to be infested with the persona of the antichrist.

Peter Kelson (Ben Chaplin) is a world-renowned author and psychologist, specializing in social disorders. His life's work is to prove that demons do not exist, but are nothing more than the nature of man. He does not believe in Evil, and is unimpressed but intrigued when Maya comes to his office late one evening and asks if she might have the task of convincing him that his theories are wrong. As they are swept up into a supernatural battle between the forces of good and evil, the hour approaches when Satan is due to manifest in the body of his chosen follower. Following a complicated series of events and clues, Lost Souls is a decent attempt but not impressive due to its lack of intent.

In the end, you're not quite certain what the director or the writers meant by it, and that leaves the audience with a feeling of disappointed uncertainty. Having seen the last few minutes of this long ago on television, I was prepared but it has upset a great many other moviegoers with its lack of potential. Then too are the religious arguments, such as whether or not a devout Catholic priest could be possessed, much less the assumption that Satan could only infest a single human being over a two-thousand-year period. There are implications of a great many demonic influences but none from the other side of the table; one would expect a little more angelic intervention if Satan did indeed have a master plan like this one. That aside, it was a decent thriller with more than its fair share of scares. The exorcisms are spine-chilling, and the film was done in such a way that there's very little color or light, making it all the more eerie and atmospheric. 

There isn't a great deal of content, much less than I anticipated given the genre. There are no spinning heads or demon mucus. Exorcisms are often violent and wrought with scary special effects, multiple voices, and screaming. Several people are shot and killed. Maya experiences dark visions in which she is tormented by spectral beings intending her harm; in one of them, the toilets in a public restroom back up and spill filth onto the walls and floor. There are three or so f-words, a couple harsh abuses of deity, and one or two profanities. There's no sexual content, but some banter about a dream in which Peter is haunted by a book called XES. In conclusion, it was a worthwhile watch if you're willing to limit your disbelief and not take it as gospel.